


Daisies and Dirt

by Cutie_chan



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Chance Meetings, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Violence, Oikage Week, Red String of Fate, Sorry Not Sorry, Volleyball, oikage, you have to squint to see it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2019-04-22 17:58:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14314101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cutie_chan/pseuds/Cutie_chan
Summary: Every time Oikawa saw Kageyama again, he was always among the daisies and dirt.Oikawa just couldn’t tell which.Oikage Day 2 - Red String of Fate AUEnjoy!!





	Daisies and Dirt

Their first encounter took place before middle school, at the time Oikawa didn’t know the boy but had he knew what was to become of the two because of their meeting, he would’ve never gone outside that day. The brunette was ten, if he recalls well, when he went to the park on his own for the third time in his life. It was close by and quiet and the boy liked it there because of the tranquillity it held. Of course, he never thinks that again.

The rustling that agitated his ears was coming from behind where he sat on the bench, but he didn’t turn around to find its source until the rustling was replaced by an alarming thud. He stood up from his seat and met the blue-eyed boy with curiosity and concern, “are you OK?” The boy replied stupidly, or rather he didn’t reply and that was what was stupid, but Oikawa was a growing boy and his patience was following his lead.

He extended a hand out, pulling up the younger one before eyeing him suspiciously. His clothes were unkempt, his face lined with a thin layer of sweat, then Oikawa spotted the ball wedged between two branches of a tree. “Is that yours? Do you need help getting it down?” He didn’t wait for a response that time and used his increasing height to his advantage and retrieved the ball for the boy.

“Thank you”

“your welcome”, Oikawa flashed a grin, probably the first and last time he’d ever do that and continued his attempt to make conversation with the younger boy. “Is that a volleyball?” Of course it was, they wouldn’t have met again if it wasn’t, but naïve, ten year old Oikawa didn’t know that. The little boy nodded excitedly, holding the ball the like a baby.

“I like volleyball”

“hey, I play volleyball too, I’m on a team actually”

“r-really?” Oikawa held back a proud smile, not wanting to admit that he liked the attention, even to this day.

“Yeah, I’m a setter. Do you know the positions?” The raven-haired boy nodded again, beaming up at the seemingly intelligent ten year old, “do you have a position?” Oikawa didn’t know why he kept talking, he should’ve just given the ball back and left it that, but someone who played volleyball was always worth talking to, in ten year old Oikawa’s book anyway.

They didn’t speak much longer, the boy’s mother standing a few meters away clearly indicating that their conversation had to end. “I’m going to Kitagawa Daiichi middle school, did you know they’re a powerhouse school?”

“Kitagawa Daiichi?!” The boy had exclaimed too loud for his mother’s liking, “that’s so cool! You must be amazing! I wanna go to Kitagawa Daiichi”

“well, well” that time Oikawa couldn’t hold back the grin that followed after the compliment and he had probably blushed too, his first compliment only the start of many more to come later for him. “Your mum’s waiting for you, you should go”,

“OK, bye-bye”, the boy had been perfectly capable of returning to his mother’s side by himself but the older women snatched his arm anyway and pulled him along in a huff, leaving Oikawa behind with a red string.

 

* * *

 

Their second meeting was nothing like their first, they both knew about volleyball already, they weren’t random strangers anymore.

Oikawa was experiencing the full blow of puberty, his stature accelerated greatly, filling out his clothes and needing to buy five new pairs of shoes over the years. And for a fourteen year old, it was obvious to say that he had acquired some charm as well, with more of it to come as he grew. It’s his first time being captain of a team, but he’s not affected by the responsibility at all, in fact, it makes him stronger.

Iwaizumi had appointed him to look for the first years, or rather ‘seek’ them seeing as they were playing hide-and-seek as a tradition at Kitagawa Daiichi. “How am I supposed to find people I don’t even know?”

“That’s for you to figure out”, there wasn’t much room for arguing so Oikawa set off to find thirteen first years, and with his intellect far superior to the new arrivals, he was quick to find eight of them in ten minutes. He almost rejoiced at the fact that he only had one left to find, but little did the captain know that he was soon to meet his most hated rival. All he had to do was follow the red string, if he could see it.

Unfortunately, for the both of them, he couldn’t. Had he been able to see it, he would’ve done everything in his power to severe it.

Through the tall grass, he brushed his fingers along, but the daisies could only kiss his feet, the dirt beneath them, that’s when he saw him, amongst them both. The tiny first year, fated to meet the captain again peered up with his big, round eyes. “Found you”, it was almost a whisper, _why did this boy look so familiar?_ Oikawa couldn’t put his finger on it as he stared at the boy, heart beating fast. He’d met loads of people in the time that they were apart, this blue-eyed volleyball freak was undoubtedly forgotten, but the feelings weren’t mutual.

“Hey, I’m Oikawa Tooru, your captain”, the bells only rang louder in his ears when the first year didn’t respond, instead, he could only gaze at the captain in something close to disappointment,

“I’m Kageyama Tobio”. Oikawa nodded and sighed as his task was finally completed, turning around to return to the gym, expecting the first year to follow behind. “Um…” However the first year was far beyond expectations, Oikawa would have the whole year and possibly more to learn that, “congratulations on making it to Kitagawa Daiichi”,

“huh?” Because, what was he supposed to say to something like that? The boy was talking as if he knew him from before, _did he?_ “Thanks… I guess”, that was their only conversation of the day.

 

* * *

 

A few years later, Oikawa as a second year had the luxury, or rather, the bad luck of being free for that afternoon. So his time was spent watching a live volleyball match, and not just match, destiny would have it that Oikawa would see his hated kouhai’s downfall. It was sickening. Had he known, of course he wouldn’t have come, but it was too late, he was already shoulder deep in the other boy’s life to turn back now.

It was more like finishing an exam, the feeling he got when the match was finally over, and he didn’t hesitate to leave straight away. Neither did Kageyama. If anyone had felt that defeat in all its harshness, it was Kageyama and Kageyama alone, but his punishment was yet to come, Kitagawa Daiichi was to make sure that it he didn’t miss it.

The red string had pulled Oikawa along in the wrong direction, his usually immaculate sense of direction distorted by the universe’s invisible force and he found himself concealing his presence around a corner. He would never say that he had been eavesdropping at the time but really, there was no other word for it, not when the rest of the junior high team was there all set to give Kageyama the inevitable.

“King of the Court”, that had unmistakeably been Kindaichi’s voice, but yet it hadn’t, the tone laced with such malice it had given the former captain an uneasy feeling. Oikawa peaked his head around the corner, barely deciphering who was who, but managed to see Kageyama tense at the name, his body shaking with rage. Or maybe he felt it through their red connection.

“Why?! Why didn’t you spike my toss—?!” The hiding brunette winced at the swing, the impact of the younger setter falling to the ground well established beneath his feet. Kindaichi still kept his fist clenched, letting the sting of the punch tingle his knuckles before spitting at his fallen setter.

“Even now, Kageyama, is it not obvious?” The boy engulfed by the grass lay stunned, his eyes impossibly wide, “we’re not gonna follow you anymore, you egocentric King”, then they left, not even sparing a glance back at the other boy. Oikawa would’ve left too, he should have done so for the both of them, yet he stood planted to the ground when a raspy breath escaped Kageyama.

The sound was disturbing. Oikawa would never forget that sound for as long as he lived, the quiet, unsteady breathing thick with pain. Had he not felt the slightest ounce of sympathy, he would’ve revealed himself and humiliated the broken setter further, but that was not the case.

 

* * *

 

Oikawa was soon to be a third year, once April came round he would be greeted with more advance studies, new first years at the club and the title of captain once again. He was excited, despite needing to wait two months still and the breeze of spring urged him outside to relish in its beauty. That’s what he would’ve liked it to be anyway, but by now he was aware that life was not so simple, far from it and it feels like déjà vu when he regrets coming outside.

However, in the moment of time, seeing Kageyama with his face accompanied by little white flowers, Oikawa knew no other reaction than to laugh with all the air in his lungs. Kageyama had not found it a laughing matter though. Oikawa squatted beside the younger setter, allowing the image to settle in his mind whilst Kageyama grit his teeth and turned his face away from his senpai.

“So Tobio-chan, how’s it going?” He only grunted as a response and looked like he would be getting up from the grass, shuffling and wriggling in a futile manner. The brunette chuckled lightly, not bothering to help, because _why did he need help getting up?_ and just admired the show until it after a few moments, something didn’t seem right.

The blue-eyed teen was reaching ahead of him for something, one hand in a brace and one leg in bandages, his eyebrows furrowed as deeply as his troubles. “Tobio-chan, what—?”

“Oikawa-san”, he gave a silent command, Kageyama had always been good at giving those but too bad for him because Oikawa had never been one to take orders. The crutch came into his field of vision and the older teen had grabbed it then hoisted Kageyama up in silence. After assembling the crutch back under Kageyama’s armpit, he stood back and examined his junior. It was visible that the injuries he had were not due to ordinary clumsiness but extensive, gruelling training, Oikawa could tell from a mile away.

A sprained wrist and pulled ankle, even now was Kageyama still receiving punishment for his actions in middle school? Oikawa had never asked and the boy had never said anything.

 

* * *

 

Oikawa was what they class an adult now, attending university and vigorously working both inside of it and outside of it. His body had flourished tremendously, from a scrawny, ten year old boy to a broad, handsome man and all his fans would never let him forget how mesmerising he has become. However, Oikawa knew that he could not always be the gorgeous man everyone knew him as, the day of his uncle’s funeral was proof of that.

In all honesty, his eyes have had years to adjust to the red string but it was still a shock to see Kageyama at the cemetery. He was alone, which wasn’t as absurd as it should’ve been but Oikawa had never tried to picture Kageyama with his family before, now was not an exception. He was alone, and so was Oikawa, when was it any different between them?

He had approached Kageyama, neither of them said anything but it was written all over his tombstone exactly what had happened. Somewhere, deep in the dirt, Kageyama’s body had been laid there never to come up again. He should’ve been happy about the sight, albeit it was a cruel thought but now he was unparalleled in volleyball as a setter, there was no one to beat him anymore.

He should’ve been happy, and yet he wasn’t. He wasn’t at all. He could only stare at the grave and sit by it till sunset came round, stroking the dirt in which Kageyama now belonged to. “Say, Tobio-chan, are you happy now?” Oikawa already knew the answer, his death was by design after all, but he had asked anyway, the words so quiet they barely left his lips. He stared down at his hands, then at the grave, then to the cloudless sky, feeling the rain on his face, so cold.

Had Oikawa not met that bright and determined boy what seemed so long ago now, maybe he wouldn’t have set the bar so high to the point of impossibility. He had set himself up for failure. But it was more than just volleyball wasn’t it? The brunette lifted himself off the grass, looking down at the bare dirt of the grave, then before leaving, he plucked out some daisies out of the grass and placed them atop the grave. The petals white and wet and the red string on his finger still leading back to that boy he might never forget.

_So, Tobio, where are you now?_

_With the Daisies? Or the dirt?_

 

 


End file.
